Early Bird or Night Owl - Which Are You?

Are you an early bird who loves getting up at the crack of dawn to get on with the day? Or, as a night owl, do you prefer the peace, quiet and solitude of the night?

Scientifically, you are one of two chronotypes. A chronotype is the “natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time.”

Whilst researching this piece, Dormeo UK came across one study that suggested that 'night owls’ tend to be more creative than the early birds (or 'larks').

Then again, another study concluded that early birds tended to be more optimistic personalities and (possibly as a result) suffered less from depression than night owls.

What is an ‘early bird,' or a ‘night owl?’

Despite both phrases being quite common, research suggests that whilst more women present as larks and more men as owls, only about three out of ten of us can be described as ‘extreme owls’ or ‘extreme larks’.

The rest of us are likely to show tendencies towards one camp or the other but are more easily able to adapt.

So the question is why? Why are some people raring to go at 6am and others still full of energy at 1am the following morning?

As with most things sleep-related, it probably comes down to your own personal circadian rhythm. Humans (and many other organisms) are programmed to have a 24 hour circadian rhythm to tie in with the Earth’s 24 hour cycle, although it seems like some people have a slightly longer rhythm (night owls) and some, a slightly shorter one (early birds).

Although each individual’s rhythm can change over time (i.e. it’s rare to find a teenaged lark and most people tend to become more larkish once they have children – even if they do complain about it), research suggests that the tendency towards early rising or partying late into the night may well be as genetic as your hair or eye colour.

It’s worth pointing out that some experts consider the term ‘night owl’ to be misleading, preferring to use ‘evening people’.

The research shows, without exception, humans are programmed to function best during the daytime and no matter what, darkness tells our brains that it’s time to sleep.

There is no doubt however, that ‘early bird’ or ‘owl’ traits have consequences on many aspects of our lives...you just may not realise it.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

They will actually determine everything from when we want to eat our meals, to when we are most alert and produce our best work, to when we get the best quality sleep.

It’s unlikely that an early bird would choose to work in a nightclub for example, and an owl isn’t going to make the best milkman or postman.

Indeed, research suggests that we may well function better overall if we were able to get our daily lives more in synch with our own personal rhythm. Concluding that night owls may well be at risk of serious sleep deprivation when forced into a standard 9-5pm work pattern.

The increased availability of flexible hours may well help with that, but the good news is that unless you are an ‘extreme’ early bird or owl, there are some simple things you can do to help you fit more in the early bird or owl camp.

Night Owl to Early Bird

• 1) Start sleeping with the curtains open. The light will help to wake you naturally. But do still set an alarm to be on the safe side!
• 2) Owls tend to leave things until the last minute. Get everything that you need for the day ahead ready the night before. That means decide in advance what you’re going to eat for breakfast and sort out what you'll be wearing.

Early Bird to Night Owl

• 1) Spending some time outside in the evening should help you stay up later at night and sleep later in the morning.
• 2) Make your bedroom as dark as possible when you do go to bed to avoid being woken by the natural light of the early morning.

It’s worth the early bird remembering that bombarding the owl with information first thing in the morning is unlikely to be met positively.

Similarly, bombarding an early bird with conversation at 10pm is, at best likely to be met with indifference and at worst, cause an argument.. if they’ve got the energy for one.

Quality Sleep

Of course, good quality sleep is vital whether you are a lark, an owl or somewhere in-between.

Dormeo has been bringing the highest quality Italian-made memory foam mattresses direct to people's homes for the last 10 years and we believe that everybody should sleep on the very best mattress they can afford.

Whether that is from our luxury Octaspring range or from our best-selling Dormeo Memory range, Dormeo mattresses are made for every body, every bedroom, and every budget.

How about you? Are you an early bird or an owl? Change which you are by read our sleep tips blog posts for some helpful information.